A weak economy has forced an increasing number of teachers to put off retirement, but there's no guarantee that those who stay put will keep the same jobs at the same schools.

The last day of school is a little more than a month away for students and teachers in the Baltimore County Public School System, and some of those teachers are trying to make plans for next year -- even if it means transferring to a new school, which appears to have caused frustration within the ranks.

Advertisement

Teachers like to be organized, and they want to be ready to go. So, it's very difficult for them, but we are really working with the school system to try and make sure everyone is placed as soon as we can," said Abby Beytin, chairwoman of the Government Relations Committee at the Teachers Association of Baltimore County.

Statistics have shown Baltimore County is hiring fewer teachers, which contributes to the teachers' consternation. The district added 341 teachers in the last academic year, tumbling from a high of almost 1,000 teachers hired five years ago.

Top administrators expressed no surprised, saying it has become a sign of the times. "As school enrollment shifts up or shifts down, we either have to add teachers or we have to move some teachers. The key point is everybody has a job and has no less of a job that they had before," said Donald Peccia, the district's assistant superintendent of Human Resources and Governmental Relations.

Some parent groups said now may be the best time to lobby for school-based changes."I feel it's very important for the parents to continue having that open dialogue with their principals and administrators to understand how budget constraints are impacting their schools, especially the scheduling and course offerings," said Nancy Ostrow, president of the PTA Council of Baltimore County.

This year, Baltimore County has about 400 teacher openings. In October, The Baltimore Sun cited Maryland State Department of Education data that revealed Baltimore County ranks ninth out of 24 districts for average teacher salaries -- the least among the state's largest school districts. The data also showed the district's two top officials are among the highest paid.

On average, teachers in the county earn $60,272, which is less than the averages for Montgomery, Howard, Anne Arundel, Frederick and Prince George's counties, The Sun reported. Montgomery pays the highest average salary ($75,000), and Dorchester County on the lower Eastern Shore pays the least ($52,594).